When I was a little girl, and my adult teeth began to appear in my mouth, my teeth became very crooked. My front two teeth were sideways, and I had a massive overbite which led to numerous trips to the dentist and the orthodontist. During my routine checkups at the orthodontist, I noticed something about the office: all the staff was female. I didn’t know the significance at the time, but I knew I wanted to be just like the women in my orthodontist’s office when I grew up. It has always fascinated me that each person’s teeth are unique, just like their fingerprints. I used to say that one day I would work alongside the very people who were treating me. I saw the passion, love, and expertise Dr. Lesser and Dr. Durrett poured out into each and every patient. My experience at this all-female practice is what inspired me to become an orthodontist myself and had one of the biggest influences on my life. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put ‘more brown kids’ in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. However, I felt my dream of becoming an orthodontist was incomplete. Then, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a trip to Peru in middle school. While in Peru, I helped build an elementary school. I poured and laid concrete to create a channel for clean water. I still remember it as one of the best experiences of my life. This trip gave me a whole new perspective and helped me cultivate my love for community service. This passion only grew as I realized that in America, dental care, and health care in general is treated as a privilege and not a right. Once I realized this, I made it my life mission to bring dental care to the communities that need it most, ultimately combining my curiosity in science and my love for community service. Since then, I have formed deep connections with my high school science teachers, and I am taking college-level biology, chemistry, and math courses as an upperclassman. I am currently team captain of Team Tampa rowing, which has helped me focus on progress, not perfection. I continue to volunteer frequently in my community and work hard to achieve my dream of bringing dental care to underprivileged communities in the United States and around the world.

I have wanted to be in the medical field ever since I was a little girl. I saw the passion, love, and expertise Dr. Lesser and Dr. Durrett poured out into each and every patient Inspired by the strong women around me, I was instilled from an early age with drive and an indefatigable spirit. This allows me to continue even when all seems lost, and to learn from my mistakes rather than let them consume me. As the definition of a perfectionist, this can be incredibly challenging at times. However, my experiences such as rowing help me to combat this thinking every day. My time in this sport has completely shifted how I move through the world. In rowing, three are no substitutions or time-outs. If you get tired, you have to keep rowing, and if you flip, you have to get back in the boat and finish the race. While brutal at times, this sport has helped me realize the importance of being proactive instead of reactive, which translates to other areas of my life, such as academics. Whenever I am confused, instead of suffering in silence, I immediately look for extra practice and ask for help. I know becoming a doctor will not be easy, and I will endure many many trials and tribulations, especially as a Black woman. However I am ready for the challenge, and as my Mom always said “Hard work beats talent when talent didn’t work hard”. Still, I feel that I have already begun to make a positive impact on the world with my podcast and book club. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years, but to have fun along the way. In addition, my best friend and I started a club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are particularly important to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. I plan to continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional to create a world even brighter than my patients' teeth.

Few people can say they came out of the womb on their own accord, but I can. I have always marched to the beat drum, and my parents told me from an early age that I was brought into this world to change it for the better. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking him to put "more brown kids" in my class, so I have been an advocate for diversity and inclusion from an early age. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. I wish to inspire other Black girls to pursue their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. After high school, I plan to make a positive impact on the world by becoming an orthodontist and giving back to underserved communities. My ultimate goal in life is to travel the world and give dental care to those in need. Still, I feel that I have already begun to make a positive impact on the world with my podcast and book club. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years, but to have fun along the way. In addition, my best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are particularly important to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. I plan to continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional to create a world even brighter than my patients' teeth.

Growing up in the suburbs of Florida, I didn't always feel like I was 'Black enough'. I often felt alienated by the non-Black people in my school and my Black relatives. My peers often said I 'talked white' because I read books that helped expand my vocabulary. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put ‘more brown kids’ in my class., so I have been an advocate for diversity from a young age. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. While medicine is heavily rooted in science, it is also a job of helping people. Doctors must help their patients in a time of extreme vulnerability, and patients put immense faith and trust in their healthcare providers. Diversity is important in this instance because people are more willing to trust someone who not only looks like them but can relate to their unique struggles. Studies have shown time and time again that many doctors do not take people of color's health concerns seriously, especially Black women. My own mother went through this experience while seeking treatment for her endometriosis, stating "My next doctor will definitely be Black." Endometriosis is when the tissue that usually lines the uterus grows outside the uterus. Had my mother had a doctor that looked like her and understood how her condition affected her compared to her white counterparts from the beginning, perhaps she would not have had to endure years of pain and discomfort. In addition, no two people's conditions are the same. This is one of the many reasons that compel me to pursue PA school, but it also means certain conditions may affect people differently. Diversity not only in the people becoming doctors, but textbooks imaging, medical school education, and simulations may help bridge the racial divide that only grows with each passing year. I know becoming a physician's assistant will not be easy, and I will endure many many trials and tribulations, especially as a black woman. However I am ready for the challenge, and as my Mom always said “Hard work beats talent when talent didn’t work hard”.

Few people can say they came out of the womb on their own accord, but I can. I have always marched to the beat drum, and my parents told me from an early age that I was brought into this world to change it for the better. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. I wish to inspire other Black girls to pursue their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. After high school, I plan to make a positive impact on the world by becoming an orthodontist and giving back to underserved communities. My ultimate goal in life is to travel the world and give dental care to those in need. Still, I feel that I have already begun to make a positive impact on the world with my podcast and book club. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years, but to have fun along the way. In addition, my best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are particularly important to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. I plan to continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional to create a world even brighter than my patients' teeth.

When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put ‘more brown kids’ in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. When I was in middle school, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to Peru. While in Peru, I helped build an elementary school. I poured and laid concrete to create a channel for clean water. I still remember it as one of the best experiences of my life, and it inspired me to get more involved in my community. This trip gave me a whole new perspective and helped me cultivate my love for community service. This passion only grew as I realized that in America, dental care, and health care in general is treated as a privilege and not a right. Once I realized this, I made it my life mission to bring dental care to the communities that need it most, ultimately combining my curiosity in science and my love for community service. Since then, I have formed deep connections with my high school science teachers, and I am taking college-level biology, chemistry, and math courses as an upperclassman. My best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are essential to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. After creating my book club, we established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge.

Before rowing, I failed to make a strong connection to any of the sports I had tried, which is why I quit all of them after a few months. So, I cemented in my mind that I simply had no talent in sports, and I focused my energy on my more artistic hobbies such as theater and band. That was until my mother signed me up for Team Tampa Rowing in my freshman year of high school to help me make friends and stay active. Despite my social anxiety that day, I was excited to join the team. I handed my paperwork to the coaches, and awkwardly joined the others, who were already warming up. The team captains led each exercise, even so, I was still completely and utterly lost. I would have never imagined that a few years later that me, the girl who was terrified to ask questions in class, would be rowing in a boat, alone, leading an entire sports team as team captain. Rowing has not only helped me grow my self-confidence but helped me grow as a leader and collaborator. As team captain, I was forced to connect and bond with people who do not look and think like me. When in a boat with eight other girls there is a special bond and understanding formed between not only each other but our placement in the boat. In an eight the stern pair, the first two people in the boat, are the leaders who set the pace for the rest to follow. The middle four contain immense strength and power, following the stern pair and keeping the boat level to the water. Finally, the bow pair, or the last two, are the people with exceptional technical skills who make sure the entire boat is connected from stern to bow. This fact is one of the many reasons I love rowing: there is a place in the boat and in the sport that is perfectly suited for every person, no matter their athletic ability, socioeconomic status, or race While I previously was plagued with perfectionism that caused me to quit whenever I felt I couldn’t succeed, rowing helped me challenge my anxiety and self-doubt. I now realize there will always be another person who is faster, smarter, taller, or stronger. What matters most is I become a better athlete and a better person by challenging myself to embrace something difficult every day. Rowing has shown me the importance of being proactive instead of reactive, and this has translated to other areas of my life, such as academics. Whenever I am confused, instead of suffering in silence, I immediately look for extra practice and ask for help. Rowing has filled me with the unwavering confidence that I can achieve my goals and aspirations in life if I strive for progress, not perfection.

The most exciting aspect of college for me is the freedom and exploration that comes with being in an unfamiliar place with new people. I'm excited to interact with people from different places of origin, religions, sexuality, and socio-economic status. I want to explore new passions while also building on my current ones. One of my current passions and how I maintain a healthy lifestyle amidst the challenges I face in school is rowing. I almost cried from anxiety on my first day of rowing. Even three years later, I remember my first day of practice in vivid detail. I was wearing a red shirt, black basketball shorts, my hair was up like a pineapple, and I had my mom’s visor. More importantly, I remember how insecure and out of place I felt. Before rowing, I failed to make a strong connection to any of the sports I had tried, which is why I quit all of them after a few months. So, I cemented in my mind that I simply had no talent in sports, and I focused my energy on my more artistic hobbies such as theater and band. That was until my mother signed me up for Team Tampa Rowing in my freshman year of high school to help me make friends and stay active. Despite my social anxiety that day, I was excited to join the team. I handed my paperwork to the coaches, and awkwardly joined the others, who were already warming up. The team captains led each exercise, even so, I was still completely and utterly lost. Now, I am a senior in high school, and I am the team captain for the second year in a row this upcoming season. Rowing has not only helped me grow my self-confidence but helped me grow as a leader and collaborator. As team captain, I was forced to connect and bond with people who do not look and think like me. When in a boat with eight other girls there is a special bond and understanding formed between not only each other but our placement in the boat. In an eight the stern pair, the first two people in the boat, are the leaders who set the pace for the rest to follow. The middle four contain immense strength and power, following the stern pair and keeping the boat level to the water. Finally, the bow pair, or the last two, are the people with exceptional technical skills who make sure the entire boat is connected from stern to bow. This fact is one of the many reasons I love rowing: there is a place in the boat and in the sport that is perfectly suited for every person, no matter their athletic ability, socioeconomic status, or race. I will take these lessons with me as I continue my athletic and academic journey in undergraduate school.

My face and ears burned as I stared at the question on the page. I searched the deepest corner of my brain as I thought of methods to answer the math problem. I thought: “This test determines my placement for math next year. I need to get a good score.” I looked up from my paper and watched my classmates continue answering questions. In my mind, all of them knew exactly what they were doing, and they were secretly laughing at me for being unable to produce a logical answer. I turned to gaze outside the window at the cars passing by, hoping it would calm my nerves. It didn’t. I focused my attention back on the problem in front of me and tried a few more calculations. I failed to find an answer that matched the four choices. For the third time. Hot tears began to stream down my cheeks. “I’m so stupid. I don’t have time for this! I'm going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail.” For the rest of the test, this phase played over and over in my head. I began to spiral, and I couldn’t stop. I didn’t know what was happening to me. The ironic part is, I got an amazing score on that state assessment, and I didn’t believe my score when I first saw it. I thought there must have been a mistake because it was impossible for me, a failure, to achieve such a high score. Shortly after, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. My anxiety mostly stems from social situations, tests, and deadlines. This is just one example of the anxiety attacks I have experienced throughout my life. I actively go to therapy, which has helped me immensely to find coping mechanisms to prevent breakdowns like the one mentioned above. My anxiety makes socializing difficult, especially with new people who are my age. I find myself more fatigued and drained than my peers even though I sleep eight hours a night. My close friends sometimes don’t understand my behavior. They don’t understand why I eat the same food for lunch every day, why I can only wear a dress on Tuesdays, or why I can only wear red on Wednesdays. I don’t always understand it myself. The turning point for my mental health journey was when I joined Team Tampa Rowing in my freshman year of high school. There was nothing I wanted less in the world than to join a sport I knew nothing about, with people I didn’t know. Despite this, I fell in love with sport and fitness itself. Throughout the years, I’ve learned that I can lean on my teammates and coaches for support and growth. They remind me that I am strong, smart, and capable in my times of weakness. Through rowing, I learned what matters most is I dream big and work hard to achieve my dreams. Rowing has helped me challenge my anxiety and self-doubt since I can be such a perfectionist that I quit whenever I feel I won’t succeed. Even so, I realized there will always be another person who’s faster, smarter, taller, or stronger. I learned what matters most is I become a better athlete and a better person by challenging myself a little every day and stepping outside my comfort zone. I learned that the only thing I failed at was to see I control my own destiny, not my anxiety.

Few people can say they came out of the womb on their own accord, but I can. I have always marched to the beat drum, and my parents told me from an early age that I was brought into this world to change it for the better. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. I wish to inspire other Black girls to pursue their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. After high school, I plan to make a positive impact on the world by becoming an orthodontist and giving back to underserved communities. My ultimate goal in life is to travel the world and give dental care to those in need. Still, I feel that I have already begun to make a positive impact on the world with my podcast and book club. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years, but to have fun along the way. In addition, my best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are particularly important to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. I plan to continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional to create a world even brighter than my patients' teeth.

Collaboration and diversity are important in advancing healthcare while medicine is heavily rooted in science, it is also a job of helping people. Doctors must help their patients in a time of extreme vulnerability, and patients put an immense amount of faith and trust in their healthcare providers. Diversity is important in this instance because people are more willing to trust someone who not only looks like them but can relate to their unique struggles. Studies have shown time and time again that many doctors do not take people of color's health concerns seriously, especially Black women. My own mother went through this experience while seeking treatment for her endometriosis, stating "My next doctor will definitely be Black." Endometriosis is when the tissue that usually lines the uterus grows outside the uterus. Had my mother had a doctor that looked like her and understood how her condition affected her compared to her white counterparts from the beginning, perhaps she would not have had to endure years of pain and discomfort. In addition, no two people's conditions are the same. This is one of the many reasons that compel me to pursue an M.D., but it also means certain conditions may affect people differently. Diversity not only in the people becoming doctors, but textbooks imaging, medical school education, and simulations may help bridge the racial divide that seems to only grow with each passing year. This past summer, I had the opportunity to attend the Brain Expansion Scholastic Training Summer Medical Academy (BEST Academy). This program, founded by Dr. Dexter Fredrick, allowed me to spend four weeks at Advent Health Hospital in Tampa, one of the largest hospitals in the state. During my time there, I was able to shadow doctors and nurses, speak to representatives from local colleges, participate in patient simulations, and so much more. I learned that there are more than just doctors and nurses working on patients, and how communication is key in the hospital setting, especially in emergency medicine. We were even able to watch a live gastrointestinal surgery on a patient done by Dr. Sharon Ross, who has an MD in General Surgery. I was hesitant and first, but it ended up being one of my favorite experiences during my time at the academy. I was able to ask the doctor questions live as she was performing the surgery. I was mesmerized as she pointed out the kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, and intestines. She used robotic arms with multiple attachments through a small incision to perform the surgery, making it minimally invasive. My experience influenced me by helping me choose my major, which is a massive part of my journey to becoming a healthcare professional. The surgery made me think about how much technology has evolved and how it relates to healthcare. Health sciences analyze the connection between technology, biology, chemistry, engineering, and healthcare, making it the perfect major for me since I have interests in a multitude of different fields. These include the sciences, humanities, and technology, and biological sciences encompass all of those areas. This degree will give me the background necessary to be successful in dental school so that I can create a future even brighter than my patient's teeth.

I would have them read Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This book is a letter from Coates to his son about the Black experience in America and what he thinks the future will look like. Even I, as a Black woman in America, gained a whole new perspective about race as a construct. The writing is eloquent yet easy to understand, and the book in total is less than 200 pages, making it an easy-read for people of all ages. At one point, Cotes tells a story about when his young son was shoved by a white lady at a movie theater. This made me reflect on a similar experience I had at an early age, when I has the police called on my family when I was only in the 3rd grade. A white woman claimed my brother and I were harssing her by skipping rocks in the pond a few feet from where she was having a picnic. This was one of many times I was reminded of my Blackness. Other examples include, my mom telling me to always get a receipt so I can prove I wasn’t stealing, being followed by employees at the mall, and listening to my brother have the ‘talk’. Not about the birds and the bees, but about the police and their aggressiveness towards people who look like me. But I was also reminded of my Blackness every Thanksgiving when my grandmother would make her famous sour cream poundcake that was just a little too dry. I was reminded of my Blackness the first time I got my hair braided and heard her speak French. I was reminded of my Blackness when I would go to the Dominican salon for a silk press. I was reminded of my Blackness when I listened to the Fugees on the radio and watched as my first name carouseled the screen. I was reminded of my Blackness at church every Sunday. I was reminded of my Blackness when my brother and I sped across the highway with the windows down, bass boosted, listening to Lil Uzi. In this book, Cote perfectly encapsulates what it menast to be Black, and the journey to self-love. All in all, I truly believe that if eveyon in the world read this book, they would gain a deeper understand of race, identity, and politics as as whole.

An important social issue I am working to address is reading and literacy. Reading and literacy are essential to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. To address this issue, my best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. I plan to continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional. When I was a little girl, and my adult teeth began to appear in my mouth, my teeth became very crooked. My front two teeth were sideways, and I had a massive overbite which led to numerous trips to the dentist and the orthodontist. During my routine checkups at the orthodontist, I noticed something about the office: all the staff was female. I didn’t know the significance at the time, but I knew I wanted to be just like the women in my orthodontist’s office when I grew up. I used to say that one day I would work alongside the very people who were treating me. My experience at this all-female practice is what inspired me to become an orthodontist myself. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put ‘more brown kids’ in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. I know becoming a doctor will not be easy, and I will endure many many trials and tribulations. However I am ready for the challenge, and as my Mom always says “Hard work beats talent when talent didn’t work hard”.

This past summer, I had the opportunity to attend the Brain Expansion Scholastic Training Summer Medical Academy (BEST Academy). This program, founded by Dr. Dexter Fredrick, allowed me to spend four weeks at Advent Health Hospital in Tampa, one of the largest hospitals in Florida. During my time there, I was able to shadow doctors and nurses, speak to representatives from local colleges, participate in patient simulations, and so much more. We were even able to watch a live gastrointestinal surgery on a patient done by Dr. Sharon Ross, who has an MD in General Surgery. I was hesitant and first, but it ended up being one of my favorite experiences during my time at the academy. I was mesmerized as she pointed out the kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, and intestines. She used robotic arms with multiple attachments through a small incision to perform the surgery, making it minimally invasive. My experience influenced me by helping me choose my major, which is a massive part of my journey to becoming a healthcare professional. Health sciences analyze the connection between technology, biology, chemistry, engineering, and healthcare, making it the perfect major for me since I have interests in a multitude of different fields. These include the sciences, humanities, and technology, and biological sciences encompass all of those areas. This degree will give me the background necessary to be successful in dental school so that I can create a future even brighter than my patient's teeth.

I'm pursuing a degree in Health Sciences to give me the background necessary to be successful in dental school. Growing up in the suburbs of Florida, I didn't always feel like I was 'Black enough'. I often felt alienated by both the non-Black people in my school and my Black relatives. My peers often said I "talked white" because I read books that helped expand my vocabulary. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. I plan to make a positive impact as a medical professional, inspiring other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. Still, I feel that I have already begun to make a positive impact on the world with my podcast and book club. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years, but to have fun along the way. In addition, my best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are particularly important to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. This scholarship will help me afford undergraduate expenses as I continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional to create a world even brighter than my patients' teeth.

Not many people can say they came out of the womb on their own accord, but I can. I have always marched to the beat drum, and my parents told me from an early age that I was brought into this world to change it for the better. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. I wish to inspire other Black girls to pursue their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. After high school, I plan to make a positive impact on the world by becoming an orthodontist and giving back to underserved communities. My ultimate goal in life is to travel the world and give dental care to those in need. Still, I feel that I have already begun to make a positive impact on the world with my podcast and book club. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years, but to have fun along the way. In addition, my best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are particularly important to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. I plan to continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional to create a world even brighter than my patients' teeth.

I'm pursuing a degree in Health Sciences to give me the background necessary to be successful in dental school. Growing up in the suburbs of Florida, I didn't always feel like I was 'Black enough'. I often felt alienated by both the non-Black people in my school and my Black relatives. My peers often said I "talked white" because I read books that helped expand my vocabulary. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. When I was in middle school, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to Peru. While in Peru, I helped build an elementary school. I poured and laid concrete to create a channel for clean water. I still remember it as one of the best experiences of my life. This trip gave me a whole new perspective and helped me cultivate my love for community service. This passion only grew as I realized that in America, dental care, and health care in general is treated as a privilege and not a right. Once I realized this, I made it my life mission to bring dental care to the communities that need it most, ultimately combining my curiosity in science and my love for community service. I believe my strength of hard work will aid me in accomplishing my dream of becoming an orthodontist. Inspired by the strong women around me, I was instilled from an early age with drive and an indefatigable spirit. This allows me to continue even when all seems lost, and to learn from my mistakes rather than let them consume me. As the definition of a perfectionist, this can be incredibly challenging at times. However, my experiences such as rowing help me to combat this thinking every day. In rowing, there are no substitutions or time-outs. If you get tired, you have to keep rowing, and if you flip, you have to get back in the boat and finish the race. While brutal at times, this sport has helped me realize the importance of being proactive instead of reactive, which translates to other areas of my life, such as academics. Whenever I am confused, instead of suffering in silence, I immediately look for extra practice and ask for help. I know becoming a doctor will not be easy, and I will endure many many trials and tribulations like the ones I have previously mentioned. However I am ready for the challenge, and as my Mom always says “Hard work beats talent when talent didn’t work hard”.

Not many people can say they came out of the womb on their own accord, but I can. I have always marched to the beat drum, and my parents told me from an early age that I was brought into this world to change it for the better. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. I wish to inspire other Black girls to pursue their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. This passion only grew as I realized that in America, dental care, and health care in general is treated as a privilege and not a right. Once I realized this, I made it my life mission to bring dental care to the communities that need it most, ultimately combining my curiosity in science and my love for community service. Still, I feel that I have already begun to make a positive impact on the world with my podcast and book club. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years, but to have fun along the way. In addition, my best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are particularly important to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. I plan to continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional to create a world even brighter than my patients' teeth.

When I was a little girl, and my adult teeth began to appear in my mouth, my teeth became very crooked. My front two teeth were sideways, and I had a massive overbite which led to numerous trips to the dentist and the orthodontist. During my routine checkups at the orthodontist, I noticed something about the office: all the staff was female. I didn’t know the significance at the time, but I knew I wanted to be just like the women in my orthodontist’s office when I grew up. I used to say that one day I would work alongside the very people who were treating me. My experience at this all-female practice is what inspired me to become an orthodontist myself. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put ‘more brown kids’ in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. The Teachers and High School Students program will equip me with the knowledge and connections needed to achieve this goal. In addition, I will learn to adapt to a variety of situations, which is imperative as a doctor since no two patients are the same. This unique trait is yet another reason I want to pursue a career in medicine. It has always fascinated me that each person’s teeth are unique, just like their fingerprints. When I was in middle school, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to Peru. While in Peru, I helped build an elementary school. I poured and laid concrete to create a channel for clean water. I still remember it as one of the best experiences of my life. This trip gave me a whole new perspective and helped me cultivate my love for community service. This passion only grew as I realized that in America, dental care, and health care in general is treated as a privilege and not a right. Once I realized this, I made it my life mission to bring dental care to the communities that need it most, ultimately combining my curiosity in science and my love for community service. Since then, I have formed deep connections with my high school science teachers, and I am taking college-level biology, chemistry, and math courses as an upperclassman. I continue to volunteer frequently in my community and work hard to achieve my dream of bringing dental care to underprivileged communities in the United States and around the world.

Not many people can say they came out of the womb on their own accord, but I can. I have always marched to the beat drum, and my parents told me from an early age that I was brought into this world to change it for the better. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. I wish to inspire other Black girls to pursue their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. After high school, I plan to make a positive impact on the world by becoming an orthodontist and giving back to underserved communities. My ultimate goal in life is to travel the world and give dental care to those in need. Still, I feel that I have already begun to make a positive impact on the world with my podcast and book club. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years, but to have fun along the way. In addition, my best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are particularly important to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. I plan to continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional to create a world even brighter than my patients' teeth.

When I was a little girl, and my adult teeth began to appear in my mouth, my teeth became very crooked. My front two teeth were sideways, and I had a massive overbite which led to numerous trips to the dentist and the orthodontist. During my routine checkups at the orthodontist, I noticed something about the office: all the staff was female. I didn’t know the significance at the time, but I knew I wanted to be just like the women in my orthodontist’s office when I grew up. I used to say that one day I would work alongside the very people who were treating me. My experience at this all-female practice is what inspired me to become an orthodontist myself. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put ‘more brown kids’ in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. The Teachers and High School Students program will equip me with the knowledge and connections needed to achieve this goal. In addition, I will learn to adapt to a variety of situations, which is imperative as a doctor since no two patients are the same. This unique trait is yet another reason I want to pursue a career in medicine. It has always fascinated me that each person’s teeth are unique, just like their fingerprints. When I was in middle school, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to Peru. While in Peru, I helped build an elementary school. I poured and laid concrete to create a channel for clean water. I still remember it as one of the best experiences of my life. This trip gave me a whole new perspective and helped me cultivate my love for community service. This passion only grew as I realized that in America, dental care, and health care in general is treated as a privilege and not a right. Once I realized this, I made it my life mission to bring dental care to the communities that need it most, ultimately combining my curiosity in science and my love for community service. Since then, I have formed deep connections with my high school science teachers, and I am taking college-level biology, chemistry, and math courses as an upperclassman. I continue to volunteer frequently in my community and work hard to achieve my dream of bringing dental care to underprivileged communities in the United States and around the world.

I'm pursuing a degree in Health Sciences to give me the background necessary to be successful in dental school. Growing up in the suburbs of Florida, I didn't always feel like I was 'Black enough'. I often felt alienated by both the non-Black people in my school and my Black relatives. My peers often said I 'talked white' because I read books which helped expand my vocabulary. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put ‘more brown kids’ in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. Diversity in healthcare is significant to me because of the specific career I plan to pursue. While medicine is heavily rooted in science, it is also a job of helping people. Doctors must help their patients in a time of extreme vulnerability, and patients put an immense amount of faith and trust in their healthcare providers. Diversity is important in this instance because people are more willing to trust someone who not only looks like them but can relate to their unique struggles. Studies have shown time and time again that many doctors do not take people of color's health concerns seriously, especially Black women. My own mother went through this experience while seeking treatment for her endometriosis, stating "My next doctor will definitely be Black." Endometriosis is when the tissue that usually lines the uterus grows outside the uterus. Had my mother had a doctor that looked like her and understood how her condition affected her compared to her white counterparts from the beginning, perhaps she would not have had to endure years of pain and discomfort. In addition, no two people's conditions are the same. This is one of the many reasons that compel me to pursue an M.D., but it also means certain conditions may affect people differently. Diversity not only in the people becoming doctors, but textbooks imaging, medical school education, and simulations may help bridge the racial divide that seems to only grow with each passing year. I know pursuing a degree in STEM will not be easy, and I will endure many many trials and tribulations, especially as a black woman. However I am ready for the challenge, and as my Mom always said “Hard work beats talent when talent didn’t work hard”.

It was hot. Summer was right around the corner. While other states were enjoying cool April showers, in Florida summer was here. I took a deep breath and looked behind me. "My point is good," I thought. I tried to roll my shoulders, loosen my grip on the handles, and breathe. My heart still pounded in my chest, loud in my ears, and I could feel the anxiety flood my body. Finally, the racecourse officials said those three deadly words. “We have alignment.” They continued. “You will have a five-second countdown to your start.” "A countdown? Well, that makes this ten times more stressful" I looked behind me again and took a couple of light taps with my left oar. “Five.” "Oh my god." “Four.” "Why am I here? I can’t do this." “Three.” "Don’t say that, Lauryn. You can do this. You wanted this." “Two.” "Focus." “One.” "Blades in the water." “Row!” I remember my first day of rowing like it was yesterday. I handed my paperwork to the coaches, and awkwardly joined the others. Before rowing, I failed to make a strong connection to any other sports, which is why I quit all of them after a few months. I cemented in my mind that I simply had no talent in sports, so I focused on hobbies like theater and band, where I felt I could hide my lack of confidence. I would have never imagined that a few years later that me, the girl who was terrified to ask questions in class, would be rowing in a boat, alone, leading an entire sports team as team captain. And yet there I was…rowing my first race in single after months of sweat and determination. So I did the only thing I could do at that moment. I rowed. I pushed my legs back as fast as I could. I tried to remember all my coach’s recent advice. Sit up straight. Lay back. Don’t dig your handles too deep. Full strokes. Most important? Relax. That felt impossible when three other girls were doing the same thing and thinking of every conceivable way to leave me in the dust. To my complete surprise... I was winning. I was pulling ahead of the other girls in the first 500 of my 2,000-meter race. "No way. There’s no way. I’m basically an Olympic rower right now!" My fast-track path to the Olympics was cut suddenly short by the worst pain I’ve felt in my entire life. I didn’t think I’d be able to finish the race that day. But I did. I didn’t finish first, but I also didn’t finish last. I set a new personal record and beat our rival team. I proved myself wrong, and that kind of satisfaction doesn’t come with a first-place medal. While I previously was plagued with perfectionism that caused me to quit whenever I felt I couldn’t succeed, rowing helped me challenge my anxiety and self-doubt. I now realize there will always be another person who is faster, smarter, taller, or stronger. What matters most is I become a better athlete and a better person by challenging myself to embrace something difficult every day. Rowing has shown me the importance of being proactive instead of reactive, and this has translated to other areas of my life, such as academics. Whenever I am confused, instead of suffering in silence, I immediately look for extra practice and ask for help. Rowing has filled me with the unwavering confidence that I can achieve my goals and aspirations in life if I strive for progress, not perfection.

When I was a little girl, and my adult teeth began to appear in my mouth, my teeth became very crooked. My front two teeth were sideways, and I had a massive overbite which led to numerous trips to the dentist and the orthodontist. During my routine checkups at the orthodontist, I noticed something about the office: all the staff was female. I didn’t know the significance at the time, but I knew I wanted to be just like the women in my orthodontist’s office when I grew up. I used to say that one day I would work alongside the very people who were treating me. My experience at this all-female practice is what inspired me to become an orthodontist myself. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put ‘more brown kids’ in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. The Teachers and High School Students program will equip me with the knowledge and connections needed to achieve this goal. In addition, I will learn to adapt to a variety of situations, which is imperative as a doctor since no two patients are the same. This unique trait is yet another reason I want to pursue a career in medicine. It has always fascinated me that each person’s teeth are unique, just like their fingerprints. When I was in middle school, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to Peru. While in Peru, I helped build an elementary school. I poured and laid concrete to create a channel for clean water. I still remember it as one of the best experiences of my life. This trip gave me a whole new perspective and helped me cultivate my love for community service. This passion only grew as I realized that in America, dental care, and health care in general is treated as a privilege and not a right. Once I realized this, I made it my life mission to bring dental care to the communities that need it most, ultimately combining my curiosity in science and my love for community service. Since then, I have formed deep connections with my high school science teachers, and I am taking college-level biology, chemistry, and math courses as an upperclassman. I continue to volunteer frequently in my community and work hard to achieve my dream of bringing dental care to underprivileged communities in the United States and around the world.

I remember my first day of rowing like it was yesterday. I handed my paperwork to the coaches, and awkwardly joined the others. My throat felt dry and my hands clammy. Before rowing, I failed to make a strong connection to any other sports, which is why I quit all of them after a few months. I cemented in my mind that I simply had no talent in sports, so I focused on hobbies like theater and band, where I felt I could hide my lack of confidence. I would have never imagined that a few years later that me, the girl who was terrified to ask questions in class, would be leading an entire sports team as team captain. Rowing has not only helped me grow my self-confidence but helped me grow as a leader and collaborator. As team captain, I was forced to connect and bond with people who do not look and think like me. When in a boat with eight other girls there is a special bond and understanding formed between not only each other but our placement in the boat. In an eight the stern pair, the first two people in the boat, are the leaders who set the pace for the rest to follow. The middle four contain immense strength and power, following the stern pair and keeping the boat level to the water. Finally, the bow pair, or the last two, are the people with exceptional technical skills who make sure the entire boat is connected from stern to bow. This fact is one of the many reasons I love rowing: there is a place in the boat and in the sport that is perfectly suited for every person, no matter their athletic ability, socioeconomic status, or race. While I previously was plagued with perfectionism that caused me to quit whenever I felt I couldn’t succeed, rowing helped me challenge my anxiety and self-doubt. I now realize there will always be another person who is faster, smarter, taller, or stronger. What matters most is I become a better athlete and a better person by challenging myself to embrace something difficult every day. Rowing has shown me the importance of being proactive instead of reactive, and this has translated to other areas of my life, such as academics. Whenever I am confused, instead of suffering in silence, I immediately look for extra practice and ask for help. Rowing has filled me with the unwavering confidence that I can achieve my goals and aspirations in life if I strive for progress, not perfection.

I almost cried from anxiety on my first day of rowing. Even three years later, I remember my first day of practice in vivid detail. I was wearing a red shirt, black basketball shorts, my hair was up like a pineapple, and I had my mom’s visor. More importantly, I remember how insecure and out of place I felt. Before rowing, I failed to make a strong connection to any of the sports I had tried, which is why I quit all of them after a few months. So, I cemented in my mind that I simply had no talent in sports, and I focused my energy on my more artistic hobbies such as theater and band. That was until my mother signed me up for Team Tampa Rowing in my freshman year of high school to help me make friends and stay active. Despite my social anxiety that day, I was excited to join the team. I handed my paperwork to the coaches, and awkwardly joined the others, who were already warming up. The team captains led each exercise, even so, I was still completely and utterly lost. I tried my best to copy everyone around me the entire practice and to not embarrass myself. Now, I am a senior in high school, and I am team captain for the second year in a row this season. Rowing has not only helped me grow my self-confidence but helped me grow as a leader and collaborator. As team captain, I was forced to connect and bond with people who do not look and think like me. When in a boat with eight other girls there is a special bond and understanding formed between not only each other but our placement in the boat. In an eight the stern pair, the first two people in the boat, are the leaders who set the pace for the rest to follow. The middle four contain immense strength and power, following the stern pair and keeping the boat level to the water. Finally, the bow pair, or the last two, are the people with exceptional technical skills who make sure the entire boat is connected from stern to bow. This fact is one of the many reasons I love rowing: there is a place in the boat and in the sport that is perfectly suited for every person, no matter their athletic ability, socioeconomic status, or race. While I previously was plagued with perfectionism that caused me to quit whenever I felt I couldn’t succeed, rowing helped me challenge my anxiety and self-doubt. I now realize there will always be another person who is faster, smarter, taller, or stronger. What matters most is I become a better athlete and a better person by challenging myself to embrace something difficult every day. Rowing has shown me the importance of being proactive instead of reactive, and this has translated to other areas of my life, such as academics. Whenever I am confused, instead of suffering in silence, I immediately look for extra practice and ask for help. Rowing has filled me with the unwavering confidence that I can achieve my goals and aspirations in life if I strive for progress, not perfection.

My face and ears burned as I stared at the question on the page. I searched the deepest corner of my brain as I thought of methods to answer the math problem. I thought: “This test determines my placement for math next year. I need to get a good score.” I looked up from my paper and watched my classmates continue answering questions. In my mind, all of them knew exactly what they were doing, and they were secretly laughing at me for being unable to produce a logical answer. I turned to gaze outside the window at the cars passing by, hoping it would calm my nerves. It didn’t. I focused my attention back on the problem in front of me and tried a few more calculations. I failed to find an answer that matched the four choices. For the third time. Hot tears began to stream down my cheeks. “I’m so stupid. I don’t have time for this! I'm going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail.” For the rest of the test, this phase played over and over in my head. I began to spiral, and I couldn’t stop. I didn’t know what was happening to me. The ironic part is, I got an amazing score on that state assessment, and I didn’t believe my score when I first saw it. I thought there must have been a mistake because it was impossible for me, a failure, to achieve such a high score. Shortly after, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. My anxiety mostly stems from social situations, tests, and deadlines. This is just one example of the anxiety attacks I have experienced throughout my life. I actively go to therapy, which has helped me immensely to find coping mechanisms to prevent breakdowns like the one mentioned above. The turning point for my mental health journey was when I joined Team Tampa Rowing in my freshman year of high school. There was nothing I wanted less in the world than to join a sport I knew nothing about, with people I didn’t know. Despite this, I fell in love with sport and fitness itself. Throughout the years, I’ve learned that I can lean on my teammates and coaches for support and growth. They remind me that I am strong, smart, and capable in my times of weakness. Through rowing, I learned what matters most is I dream big and work hard to achieve my dreams. Rowing has helped me challenge my anxiety and self-doubt, since I can be such a perfectionist that I quit whenever I feel I won’t succeed. Even so, I realized there will always be another person who’s faster, smarter, taller, or stronger. I learned what matters most is I become a better athlete and a better person by challenging myself a little every day and stepping outside my comfort zone. I learned that the only thing I failed at was to see I control my own destiny, not my anxiety.

My face and ears burned as I stared at the question on the page. I searched the deepest corner of my brain as I thought of methods to answer the math problem. I thought: “This test determines my placement for math next year. I need to get a good score.” I looked up from my paper and watched my classmates continue answering questions. In my mind, all of them knew exactly what they were doing, and they were secretly laughing at me for being unable to produce a logical answer. I turned to gaze outside the window at the cars passing by, hoping it would calm my nerves. It didn’t. I focused my attention back on the problem in front of me and tried a few more calculations. I failed to find an answer that matched the four choices. For the third time. Hot tears began to stream down my cheeks. “I’m so stupid. I don’t have time for this! I'm going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail.” For the rest of the test, this phase played over and over in my head. I began to spiral, and I couldn’t stop. I didn’t know what was happening to me. The ironic part is, I got an amazing score on that state assessment, and I didn’t believe my score when I first saw it. I thought there must have been a mistake because it was impossible for me, a failure, to achieve such a high score. Shortly after, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. My anxiety mostly stems from social situations, tests, and deadlines. This is just one example of the anxiety attacks I have experienced throughout my life. I actively go to therapy, which has helped me immensely to find coping mechanisms to prevent breakdowns like the one mentioned above. The turning point for my mental health journey was when I joined Team Tampa Rowing in my freshman year of high school. There was nothing I wanted less in the world than to join a sport I knew nothing about, with people I didn’t know. Despite this, I fell in love with sport and fitness itself. Throughout the years, I’ve learned that I can lean on my teammates and coaches for support and growth. They remind me that I am strong, smart, and capable in my times of weakness. Through rowing, I learned what matters most is I dream big and work hard to achieve my dreams. Rowing has helped me challenge my anxiety and self-doubt, since I can be such a perfectionist that I quit whenever I feel I won’t succeed. Even so, I realized there will always be another person who’s faster, smarter, taller, or stronger. I learned what matters most is I become a better athlete and a better person by challenging myself a little every day and stepping outside my comfort zone. I learned that the only thing I failed at was to see I control my own destiny, not my anxiety.

When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. I wish to inspire other Black girls to pursue their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. After high school, I plan to make a positive impact on the world by becoming an orthodontist and giving back to underserved communities. My ultimate goal in life is to travel the world and give dental care to those in need. Still, I feel that I have already begun to make a positive impact on the world with my podcast and book club. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years, but to have fun along the way. In addition, my best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are particularly important to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. I plan to continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional to create a world even brighter than my patients' teeth.

When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. I wish to inspire other Black girls to pursue their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. After high school, I plan to make a positive impact on the world by becoming an orthodontist and giving back to underserved communities. My ultimate goal in life is to travel the world and give dental care to those in need. Still, I feel that I have already begun to make a positive impact on the world with my podcast and book club. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years, but to have fun along the way. In addition, my best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are particularly important to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. I plan to continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional to create a world even brighter than my patients' teeth.

I'm pursuing a degree in Health Sciences to give me the background necessary to be successful in dental school. Growing up in the suburbs of Florida, I didn't always feel like I was 'Black enough'. I often felt alienated by both the non-Black people in my school and my Black relatives. My peers often said I "talked white" because I read books that helped expand my vocabulary. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. When I was in middle school, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to Peru. While in Peru, I helped build an elementary school. I poured and laid concrete to create a channel for clean water. I still remember it as one of the best experiences of my life. This trip gave me a whole new perspective and helped me cultivate my love for community service. This passion only grew as I realized that in America, dental care, and health care in general is treated as a privilege and not a right. Once I realized this, I made it my life mission to bring dental care to the communities that need it most, ultimately combining my curiosity in science and my love for community service. Since then, I have formed deep connections with my high school science teachers, and I am taking college-level biology, chemistry, and math courses as an upperclassman. I continue to volunteer frequently in my community and work hard to achieve my dream of bringing dental care to underprivileged communities in the United States and around the world.

I almost cried from anxiety on my first day of rowing. Even three years later, I remember my first day of practice in vivid detail. I was wearing a red shirt, black basketball shorts, my hair was up like a pineapple, and I had my mom’s visor. More importantly, I remember how insecure and out of place I felt. Before rowing, I failed to make a strong connection to any of the sports I had tried, which is why I quit all of them after a few months. So, I cemented in my mind that I simply had no talent in sports, and I focused my energy on my more artistic hobbies such as theater and band. That was until my mother signed me up for Team Tampa Rowing in my freshman year of high school to help me make friends and stay active. Despite my social anxiety that day, I was excited to join the team. I handed my paperwork to the coaches, and awkwardly joined the others, who were already warming up. The team captains led each exercise, even so, I was still completely and utterly lost. I tried my best to copy everyone around me the entire practice and to not embarrass myself. Now, I am a senior in high school, and I am team captain for the second year in a row. Rowing has not only helped me grow my self-confidence but helped me grow as a leader and collaborator. I learned to connect and bond with people who do not look and think like me, while I continued to bring a positive attitude and excitement, just like on my first day. When in a boat with eight other girls there is a special bond and understanding formed between not only each other but our placement in the boat. In an eight the stern pair, the first two people in the boat, are the leaders who set the pace for the rest to follow. The middle four contain immense strength and power, following the stern pair and keeping the boat level to the water. Finally, the bow pair, or the last two, are the people with exceptional technical skills who make sure the entire boat is connected from stern to bow. This fact is one of the many reasons I love rowing: there is a place in the boat and in the sport that is perfectly suited for every person, no matter their athletic ability, socioeconomic status, or race.

I once heard someone say, You can learn a lot about a person Just from looking at their hands.  What might someone say,  If they looked at mine? At first glance, they appear to well manicured, glossy, elegant and even.  My fingers stretch out, Long like a seabed.  But if you look a little closer, You’ll start to see the scars.  You’ll see my hands are calloused, rough, unpolished, and hard.  Bits of flesh and skin, Fall from my withered palms Like a tree in the Florida wind, Swaying to a song.  My hands are far from perfect, So what does that say about me? Maybe what it says, Is that things are not always what they seem. 

When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. I wish to inspire other Black girls to pursue their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. After high school, I plan to make a positive impact on the world by becoming an orthodontist and giving back to underserved communities. My ultimate goal in life is to travel the world and give dental care to those in need. I have already begun to make a positive impact on the world with my podcast and book club. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years but to have fun along the way. In addition, my best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are particularly important to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. I plan to continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional to create a world even brighter than my patients' teeth.

I'm most excited to join clubs on campus, find my authentic self, and start my journey to become a healthcare professional. Growing up in the suburbs of Florida, I didn't always feel like I was 'Black enough'. I often felt alienated by both the non-Black people in my school and my Black relatives. My peers often said I "talked white" because I read books that helped expand my vocabulary. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. Likewise, I maintain a healthy soul through music and poetry. These are my two escapes when I feel overwhelmed or burnt out. Listening to music never fails to make me forget my troubles, and I plan to publish my poems one day in a book that shows how even though people have different lives and experiences, at humanity's core, we are all the same. Additionally, I maintain a healthy mind and body through the sport of rowing. While brutal at times, this sport has helped me realize the importance of being proactive instead of reactive, which translates to other areas of my life, such as academics. Whenever I am confused, instead of suffering in silence, I immediately look for extra practice and ask for help. I know becoming a doctor will not be easy, and I will endure many many trials and tribulations like the ones I have previously mentioned. However I am ready for the challenge, and as my Mom always says “Hard work beats talent when talent didn’t work hard”.

I'm pursuing a degree in Health Sciences to give me the background necessary to be successful in dental school. Growing up in the suburbs of Florida, I didn't always feel like I was 'Black enough'. I often felt alienated by both the non-Black people in my school and my Black relatives. My peers often said I "talked white" because I read books that helped expand my vocabulary. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. I believe my strength of hard work will aid me in accomplishing my dream of becoming an orthodontist. Inspired by the strong women around me, I was instilled from an early age with drive and an indefatigable spirit. This allows me to continue even when all seems lost, and to learn from my mistakes rather than let them consume me. As the definition of a perfectionist, this can be incredibly challenging at times. However, my experiences such as rowing help me to combat this thinking every day. In rowing, there are no substitutions or time-outs. If you get tired, you have to keep rowing, and if you flip, you have to get back in the boat and finish the race. While brutal at times, this sport has helped me realize the importance of being proactive instead of reactive, which translates to other areas of my life, such as academics. Whenever I am confused, instead of suffering in silence, I immediately look for extra practice and ask for help. I know becoming a doctor will not be easy, and I will endure many many trials and tribulations like the ones I have previously mentioned. However I am ready for the challenge, and as my Mom always says “Hard work beats talent when talent didn’t work hard”.

I'm pursuing a degree in Health Sciences to give me the background necessary to be successful in dental school. Growing up in the suburbs of Florida, I didn't always feel like I was 'Black enough'. I often felt alienated by both the non-Black people in my school and my Black relatives. My peers often said I "talked white" because I read books which helped expand my vocabulary. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. I chose a degree in Health Sciences specifically because of the variety of disciplines it encompasses. This major not only includes parts of science and engineering but communications and technology. I feel it is a major that will not only prepare me for graduate school but also for the workforce. This is because people with degrees in Health Sciences work at insurance companies, clinics, hospitals, and more. This vesitality is appealing to me since my ultimate goal is to travel the world and provide healthcare to those in need. With this degree and this scholarship, I can help create a future brighter than my patients' teeth.

I have demonstrated resilience to inspire others as co-host of my podcast. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years but to have fun along the way. My best friend and I share our struggles academically and personally and how we overcame those struggles to inspire underclassmen to keep going even when all seems lost. We also offer college admissions and writing advice to those who may not know where to start. In our most recent episode, I opened up about my own journey navigating Generalized Anxiety Disorder and the ways others with similar issues can grow and heal. One of the biggest factors that contributed to my growth and success is rowing. I am the current team captain of Team Tampa rowing and I strive every day to show my teammates how to push forward in spite of losses or failures. As the definition of a perfectionist, this can be incredibly challenging at times. However, you must be resilient and quick on your feet in a sport like crew. In rowing, three are no substitutions or time-outs. If you get tired, you have to keep rowing, and if you flip, you have to get back in the boat and finish the race. A specific instance of this is at my first state rowing competition, I overheard another team talking down on Team Tampa. My teammates overheard them as well, which caused the whole team to lose their confidence in their athletic abilities. Instead of taking their words and opinions as fact, I encouraged my teammates to remember all the Saturday mornings they woke up before the sun to put in the work to get to where they are today. I reminded them of all the times they rose to the challenge of constantly pulling harder on the rowing machine. Finally, I reminded them of how much their teammates, coaches, and I, as team captain believed in them to do their best using all the lessons they learned over the months leading up to this competition. I told them the person making those remarks had not seen the months of sweat, determination, and improvements they have made. In the end, we did not finish first, but we also did not finish last. My resilience and spirit at that moment were contagious, and with it, I helped create a bond between teammates stronger than ever before, and that satisfaction does not come with a first-place medal.

I'm pursuing a degree in Health Sciences to give me the background necessary to be successful in dental school. Growing up in the suburbs of Florida, I didn't always feel like I was 'Black enough'. I often felt alienated by both the non-Black people in my school and my Black relatives. My peers often said I "talked white" because I read books which helped expand my vocabulary. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. The largest obstacle I will encounter is obtaining the credentials necessary to be accepted into dental school. Establishing balance and time management will be one problem I will encounter early on in my college career; indeed, I not only must receive exceptional grades in rigorous courses such as organic chemistry, biology, and physics, but I also must earn a competitive score on the Dental Admissions test (DAT) while simultaneously participating in extracurriculars. Similar to the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), this test is about 5 hours long and requires at least three months of preparation. I struggle with test anxiety, which makes taking these long and important tests that much more difficult. Establishing a strong foundation in undergraduate school is imperative to ensure I have the knowledge to to succeed on this assessment, as well as developing healthy coping mechanisms to help manage my anxiety. Still, I believe my strength of hard work will aid me in accomplishing my dream of becoming an orthodontist. Inspired by the strong women around me, I was instilled from an early age with drive and an indefatigable spirit. This allows me to continue even when all seems lost, and to learn from my mistakes rather than let them consume me. As the definition of a perfectionist, this can be incredibly challenging at times. However, my experiences such as rowing help me to combat this thinking every day. In rowing, there are no substitutions or time-outs. If you get tired, you have to keep rowing, and if you flip, you have to get back in the boat and finish the race. While brutal at times, this sport has helped me realize the importance of being proactive instead of reactive, which translates to other areas of my life, such as academics. Whenever I am confused, instead of suffering in silence, I immediately look for extra practice and ask for help. I know becoming a doctor will not be easy, and I will endure many many trials and tribulations like the ones I have previously mentioned. However I am ready for the challenge, and as my Mom always says “Hard work beats talent when talent didn’t work hard”.

I'm pursuing a degree in Health Sciences to give me the background necessary to be successful in dental school. Growing up in the suburbs of Florida, I didn't always feel like I was 'Black enough'. I often felt alienated by both the non-Black people in my school and my Black relatives. My peers often said I 'talked white' because I read books which helped expand my vocabulary. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put ‘more brown kids’ in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. Diversity in the workplace is significant to me because of the specific career I plan to pursue. While medicine is heavily rooted in science, it is also a job of helping people. Doctors must help their patients in a time of extreme vulnerability, and patients put an immense amount of faith and trust in their healthcare providers. Diversity is important in this instance because people are more willing to trust someone who not only looks like them but can relate to their unique struggles. Studies have shown time and time again that many doctors do not take people of color's health concerns seriously, especially Black women. My own mother went through this experience while seeking treatment for her endometriosis, stating "My next doctor will definitely be Black." Endometriosis is when the tissue that usually lines the uterus grows outside the uterus. Had my mother had a doctor that looked like her and understood how her condition affected her compared to her white counterparts from the beginning, perhaps she would not have had to endure years of pain and discomfort. In addition, no two people's conditions are the same. This is one of the many reasons that compel me to pursue an M.D, but it also means certain conditions may affect people differently. Diversity not only in the people becoming doctors, but textbooks imaging, medical school education, and simulations may help bridge the racial divide that seems to only grow with each passing year. I know pursuing a degree in STEM will not be easy, and I will endure many many trials and tribulations, especially as a Black woman. However I am ready for the challenge, and as my Mom always said “Hard work beats talent when talent didn’t work hard”.

Not many people can say they came out of the womb on their own accord, but I can. I have always marched to the beat drum, and my parents told me from an early age that I was brought into this world to change it for the better. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking him to put "more brown kids" in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. I wish to inspire other Black girls to pursue their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. After high school, I plan to make a positive impact on the world by becoming an orthodontist and giving back to underserved communities. My ultimate goal in life is to travel the world and give dental care to those in need. Still, I feel that I have already begun to make a positive impact on the world with my podcast and book club. I recently started a podcast called Not in the Building where I aim to not only help high school students navigate their formative years, but to have fun along the way. In addition, my best friend and I started a book club called Beyond the Book in order to share our love of reading with other literary enthusiasts. Reading and literacy are particularly important to me since studies have shown a correlation between 3rd-grade reading levels and high school graduation. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. In addition, most of my peers speak Spanish as a first language which makes reading and reading comprehension more difficult. It is imperative to me that my fellow students see reading as more than homework for English class. With more and more restrictions being put on what can and cannot be taught in schools, reading books gives us the knowledge and power to form our own opinion separate from politics and other external influences. Since creating my book club, we have established a little free library for my school that includes books with characters from all levels of society. We are actively expanding our book club and partnering with other schools in our area to spread a message of positivity, inclusivity, and knowledge. I plan to continue my positive impact on the world with my work as a healthcare professional to create a world even brighter than my patients' teeth.

I give back to the Black community through my school’s Black Culture Club. The goal of the club is to bring about cultural tolerance and acceptance in my high school and the surrounding community. Due to COVID-19, the Black Culture Club was unable to carry out some of the activities from previous years, such as hosting a cookout where Black people of all diverse backgrounds can come together to share traditional foods with other club members and the entire school. This past school year I was elected as club president, and I was tasked with bringing the Black Culture Club to new levels. My school consists of mainly Black and Hispanic/Latino students, and our club not only educates about Black culture, but about the similarities between other traditions like Hispanic culture. During our meetings, we educate our club members about the deep roots Black people have in Florida. For example, many students were shocked to learn about the Rosewood massacre and other historical events that happened in their home state. To help reach more people, during Black history month my club members and I hung posters around the school highlighting Black leaders that are not commonly taught in schools, for instance Josephine Baker and Howard Thurman. We also broadcast a new person every week on my school’s after-school announcements to bring even more awareness. Finally, for our meeting in February, we had two guest speakers converse with our club members. Dr. Samuel Wright and Wyndell Campell are two Black men who have left an impact on their communities in the Tampa, Florida area. Dr. Wright worked as an ombudsman at the University of South Florida for nearly three decades, and pioneered their diversity and inclusion sector, specifically for Black students. And Campbell worked as a teacher at a poor elementary school in the St. Pete area for most of his life before starting his own small business brining African folktales to life for students of all ages and socio-economic status. Next year, I plan to partner with the Black Heritage Festival in Tampa, Florida during Black history month to expose my club members to even more experiences they may not have otherwise. My ultimate goal with my club is to contribute to making the world a brighter, more inclusive place, specifically for those of the Black race.

My face and ears burned as I stared at the question on the page. I searched the deepest corner of my brain as I thought of methods to answer the math problem. I thought: “This test determines my placement for math next year. I need to get a good score.” I looked up from my paper and watched my classmates continue answering questions. In my mind, all of them knew exactly what they were doing, and they were secretly laughing at me for being unable to produce a logical answer. I turned to gaze outside the window at the cars passing by, hoping it would calm my nerves. It didn’t. Instead, it gave way to a horrible, intrusive thought. “Right, this window opens in case of an emergency. Do you think if I jumped out this window right now it would be far enough down to kill me? I mean, you can’t fail a test if you’re dead.” I imagined myself standing up from my chair, opening the window, and jumping down. I imagined the terrified look on my classmates' faces. I imagined the cool wind on my back as I made my descent. I imagined the calmness and stillness as my world faded to black, like the end of a movie. Then, reality crept back in. “Nah, it’s not high enough. I would just end up injuring myself for no reason. Back to this stupid test.” I focused my attention back on the problem in front of me and tried a few more calculations. I failed to find an answer that matched the four choices. For the third time. Hot tears began to stream down my cheeks. “I’m so stupid. I don’t have time for this! I'm going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail.” For the rest of the test, this phase played over and over in my head. I began to spiral, and I couldn’t stop. I didn’t know what was happening to me. The ironic part is, I got an amazing score on that state assessment, and I didn’t believe my score when I first saw it. I thought there must have been a mistake because it was impossible for me, a failure, to achieve such a high score. Shortly after, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. My anxiety mostly stems from social situations, tests, and deadlines. This is just one example of the anxiety attacks I have experienced throughout my life. I do actively go to the therapy, which has helped me immensely to find coping mechanism to prevent breakdowns like the one mentioned above. My anxiety makes socializing difficult, especially with new people who are my age. I always feel as if I overshare, and after the conversation I overthink and analyze every sentence, thinking of the words I could have or should have said. I find myself more fatigued and drained than my peers even though I sleep eight hours a night. My close friends sometimes don’t understand my behavior. They don’t understand why I eat the same food for lunch every day, why I can only wear a dress on Tuesdays, or why I can only wear red on Wednesdays. I don’t always understand it myself. The turning point for my mental health journey was when I joined Team Tampa Rowing in my freshman year of high school. There was nothing I wanted less in the world than to join a sport I knew nothing about, with people I didn’t know. Despite this, I fell in love with sport and fitness itself. Throughout the years, I’ve learned that I can lean on my teammates and coaches for support and growth. They remind me that I am strong, smart, and capable in my times of weakness. Through rowing, I learned what matters most is I dream big and work hard to achieve my dreams. Rowing has helped me challenge my anxiety and self-doubt, since I can be such a perfectionist that I quit whenever I feel I won’t succeed. Even so, I realized there will always be another person who’s faster, smarter, taller, or stronger. I learned what matters most is I become a better athlete and a better person by challenging myself a little every day and stepping outside my comfort zone. I learned that the only thing I failed at was to see I control my own destiny, not my anxiety.

When I was a little girl, and my adult teeth began to appear in my mouth, my teeth became very crooked. My front two teeth were sideways, and I had a massive overbite which led to numerous trips to the dentist and the orthodontist. During my routine checkups at the orthodontist, I noticed something about the office: all the staff was female. I didn’t know the significance at the time, but I knew I wanted to be just like the women in my orthodontist’s office when I grew up. It has always fascinated me that each person’s teeth are unique, just like their fingerprints. I used to say that one day I would work alongside the very people who were treating me. I saw the passion, love, and expertise Dr. Lesser and Dr. Durrett poured out into each and every patient. My experience at this all-female practice is what inspired me to become an orthodontist myself and had one of the biggest influences on my life. When I was in elementary school, I wrote my principal a letter asking for him to put ‘more brown kids’ in my class. As I grew older and developed a passion for knowledge, the desire to be surrounded by more kids who looked like me grew as well. Today, I walk into my honors, advanced placement, and college credit classes and realize I am the only dark-skinned Black woman in the room. As a medical professional, I wish to inspire other Black girls to work hard to achieve their dreams, even if they do not see themselves represented in that space. However, I felt my dream of becoming an orthodontist was incomplete. Then, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a trip to Peru in middle school. While in Peru, I helped build an elementary school. I poured and laid concrete to create a channel for clean water. I still remember it as one of the best experiences of my life. This trip gave me a whole new perspective and helped me cultivate my love for community service. This passion only grew as I realized that in America, dental care, and health care in general is treated as a privilege and not a right. Once I realized this, I made it my life mission to bring dental care to the communities that need it most, ultimately combining my curiosity in science and my love for community service. Since then, I have formed deep connections with my high school science teachers, and I am taking college-level biology, chemistry, and math courses as an upperclassman. I am currently team captain of Team Tampa rowing, which has helped me focus on progress, not perfection. I continue to volunteer frequently in my community and work hard to achieve my dream of bringing dental care to underprivileged communities in the United States and around the world.

My face and ears burned as I stared at the question on the page. I searched the deepest corner of my brain as I thought of methods to answer the math problem. I thought: “This test determines my placement for math next year. I need to get a good score.” I looked up from my paper and watched my classmates continue answering questions. In my mind, all of them knew exactly what they were doing, and they were secretly laughing at me for being unable to produce a logical answer. I turned to gaze outside the window at the cars passing by, hoping it would calm my nerves. It didn’t. Instead, it gave way to a horrible, intrusive thought. “Right, this window opens in case of an emergency. Do you think if I jumped out this window right now it would be far enough down to kill me? I mean, you can’t fail a test if you’re dead.” I imagined myself standing up from my chair, opening the window, and jumping down. I imagined the terrified look on my classmates' faces. I imagined the cool wind on my back as I made my descent. I imagined the calmness and stillness as my world faded to black, like the end of a movie. Then, reality crept back in. “Nah, it’s not high enough. I would just end up injuring myself for no reason. Back to this stupid test.” I focused my attention back on the problem in front of me and tried a few more calculations. I failed to find an answer that matched the four choices. For the third time. Hot tears began to stream down my cheeks. “I’m so stupid. I don’t have time for this! I'm going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail.” For the rest of the test, this phase played over and over in my head. I began to spiral, and I couldn’t stop. I didn’t know what was happening to me. The ironic part is, I got an amazing score on that state assessment, and I didn’t believe my score when I first saw it. I thought there must have been a mistake because it was impossible for me, a failure, to achieve such a high score. Shortly after, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. My anxiety mostly stems from social situations, tests, and deadlines. This is just one example of the anxiety attacks I have experienced throughout my life. I do actively go to the therapy, which has helped me immensely to find coping mechanism to prevent breakdowns like one mentioned above. My anxiety makes socializing difficult, especially with new people who are my age. I always feel as if I overshare, and after the conversation I overthink and analyze every sentence, thinking of the words I could have or should have said. I find myself more fatigued and drained than my peers even though I sleep eight hours a night. My close friends sometimes don’t understand my behavior. They don’t understand why I eat the same food for lunch every day, why I can only wear a dress on Tuesdays, or why I can only wear red on Wednesdays. I don’t always understand it myself. The turning point for my mental health journey was when I joined Team Tampa Rowing in my freshman year of high school. There was nothing I wanted less in the world than to join a sport I knew nothing about, with people I didn’t know. Despite this, I fell in love with sport and fitness itself. Throughout the years, I’ve learned that I can lean on my teammates and coaches for support and growth. They remind me that I am strong, smart, and capable in my times of weakness. Through rowing, I learned what matters most is I dream big and work hard to achieve my dreams. Rowing has helped me challenge my anxiety and self-doubt, since I can be such a perfectionist that I quit whenever I feel I won’t succeed. Even so, I realized there will always be another person who’s faster, smarter, taller, or stronger. I learned what matters most is I become a better athlete and a better person by challenging myself a little every day and stepping outside my comfort zone. I learned that the only thing I failed at was to see I control my own destiny, not my anxiety.

One thing that has inspired me is the sport of rowing. I discovered this sport totally by accident and I could not have imagined the impact it would have on my life. As the textbook definition of a perfectionist, it is sometimes difficult for me to step outside of my comfort zone. Rowing was not only a new sport that I knew nothing about, but I also didn’t know anyone on the team. I remember my first day of rowing like it was yesterday. I was wearing a red shirt, black basketball shorts, my hair was up like a pineapple, and I had my mom’s visor. I was nervous, but also giddy and excited. I handed my paperwork to the coaches and awkwardly joined the other athletes, who were already warming up. The team captains led each exercise, even so, I was still completely and utterly lost. As we were walking back to the boathouse, a teammate came up and asked me to get “hands on” on a boat. Somehow, I successfully put the boat into the water. I just tried my best to copy everyone around me the entire practice. I remember seeing others rowing in smaller boats, even a single. I never once imagined, a year later I would be rowing in a single. And there I was…rowing my first race in single after a year of sweat and determination. I didn’t finish first that day, but I also didn’t finish last. I set a new personal record and beat our rival team, so in the end it was still a win. I proved myself wrong, and that kind of satisfaction doesn’t come with a first-place medal. My first race in a single was a life-altering experience and my captivation with the sport continues to this day. The main reason rowing fascinates me is its versatility. There is not just one way to row and while everyone has their preferences, it is easy to mix it up occasionally. A person can row with one or two oars, in boat big or small, in the front or in the back. Likewise, Rowing has helped me to challenge myself in many ways. I’ve learned that I can lean on my teammates and coaches for support and growth. Even after three years, I still feel the same nervousness and excitement as my first day of practice. Through rowing, I learned what matters most is I dream big and work hard to achieve my dreams. Rowing has helped me challenge my anxiety and self-doubt, since I can be such a perfectionist that I quit whenever I feel I won’t succeed. Even so, I realized there will always be another person who’s faster, smarter, taller, or stronger. I learned what matters most is I become a better athlete and a better person by challenging myself a little every day and stepping outside my comfort zone. I learned what matters most is progress, not perfection.